6 GOINGS ON ABOUT TOWN THE THEA TR.E S-M-T-W-T-F-S 31 8 2; 13 1 31 I I 2 T HE Ritz Theatre, on West 48th Street, is being "restored to its original architectural and decorative design and renamed for eminent the- atre critic Walter Kerr"-or so we read in a press release that crossed our desk lately. The Ritz, which was built in 1920 and served intermittently as a radio statIon (it was from here that Alexander W oollcott broadcast his views as the Town Crier), is owned and operated by the Jujamcyn chain; in recent seasons, it has housed such disparate crowd-pleasers as "No Sex, Please, We're British" and "Doubles." We have nothing but the deepest affection for Walter Kerr. We grew up on his Sunday criticism and stil1 miss those weekly appearances in the Times' Arts and Leisure section , which we reach for sad in the knowl- edge that whatever subject we are about to immerse ourself in will not be treated with the W al ter Kerr wis- dom, urbanity, and perspective All the same, we think it's funny to rechristen a theatre and name it after a living critic, as the owners of the Mansfield did when they changed its name to the Brooks Atkinson-as though a critic's name is some sort of guarantee of quality. The proprietors of movie houses in the the a tre district sometimes play with words to make their product more attractive to the audiences they think they cater to. (On a 42nd Street marquee, some years ago the title "Prizzi's Honor" became "Prizzi's Murder.") Perhaps Rocco Landesman, president of Jujam- cyn, hopes that in making his name change he will be catering specifically to an audience that values wisdom, urbanity, and perspective If so, we can think of worse things to strive for. OPENINGS AND PREVIEWS (Please call the phone number listed with the theatre for schedule and ticket information.) SWEENEY TODD-Bob Gunton and Beth Fowler in the York Theatre Company's production of the Sondheim musical, which had a brief run uptown last spnng. Susan H. Schulman is the director. In previews. (Circle in the Square, 50th St west of Broadway 239-6200.) RECENTLY OPENED ARISTOCRATs-Brian Friel's portrait of the fami- ly of Judge O'Donnell, of Ballybeg Hall, in Donegal, is witty, ironic, and loving. Direct- ed by Robin Lefèvre (Reviewed in our issue of 5/8/89.) (Theatre Four, 424 W. 55th St. 246-0102.) BLACK AND BLUE-An evening of classic blues and jazz, conceived, designed, and directed by Claudio Segovia and Héctor Orezzoli, who created "Tango Argentino" in a similarly commemorative but far less visually opulent style. Musicians of renown have been assem- bled, and while Ruth Brown, Linda Hopkins, and Carrie Smith sing, Bunny Briggs, Jimmy Slyde, and a troupe of hoofers young and old give the tap-dance subculture a workout. (2/6/89, under Dancing) (Minskoff. 45th St. west of Broadway. 246-0102.) A HOT MINUTE-A musical revue, conceived by Melanie Mintz, about backup singers and their aspirations toward the big time. With Vivian Cherry, Pattie Darcy, Jon Fiore, Vicki Sue Robinson, and John-Martin Green. Final performances Sept. 5-6 at 8 and 11. (Bottom Line, 15 W. 4th St., at Mercer St. 228-6300.) JEROME ROBBINS' BROADWAy-A collection of high spots from "On the Town," "Billion Dollar Baby," "High Button Shoes," "The King and I," "Peter Pan," "West Side Story," "Gypsy," "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum," and "Fiddler on the Roof," all of which were choreographed or directed, or both, by Jerome Robbins. The evening is an orgy of family entertainment, a display of theatrical arts and crafts, and a canonization of Robbins and his era Whether the fifties was your generation or your par- ents', this is the show for you. (3/13/89, under Dancing.) (Imperial, 249 W. 45th St. 239-6200.) THE KATHY AND Mo SHOW: PARALLEL LIVES- Comedy skits and vi- gnettes about gender and its role in societ Y d written and performe by Kathy N ajimy and Mo Gaffney. (Westside Arts, 407 W. 43rd St 541-8394.) THE LADY IN QUESTION- Charles Busch's new play, set in Germany during the Second World War, is the per- fect en tertainmen t for a hot summer night- or a cool autumn eve- ning It's less pointed- ly a parody of one genre or movie than his last work, "Psycho Beach Party," was, and more a travesty of an en tire week's worth of TNT programming, compressed into a sin- gle evening of theatre. (Orpheum, 126 Second Ave., at 8th St. 477- 2477.) LARGELY NEW YORK-It would be a mistake to assume that Bill Irwin's dance-mime extra vaganza is fun- damentally boring be- ca use it lacks words; in fact, it has the best . Q Szmon Jones and Jim Dale in "Privates on Parade" "book" on Broadway. The piece is partly a sendup of theatrical technology, partly a comment on the ills that beset a pluralistic society, and partly a debate about art. Irwin puts onstage all the conflicts, tensions, and antagonisms of modern city life and resolves them by means of an invented language. His solution is unrealistic-it obtains only in a thea tre- bu t what makes the message so uplifting is that to understand it you have to learn a new idiom. (5/15/89) (St. James, 246 W. 44th St. 246-0102. Closes Sept. 2.) LEND ME A TENoR-The setting of this farce by Ken Ludwig is a hotel suite in Cleveland in 1934, where a famous tenor who is booked to sing "Otello" takes an overdose of barbitu- rates. A substitute must be found Under Jerry Zaks' direction, all the surprises up the dramatist's sleeve are brought to comic life. Philip Bosco, Victor Garber, Tovah Feldshuh, J. Smith-Cameron, Ron Holgate, Jane Con- nell, and Jeff Brooks make up the splendid cast. (3/13/89) (Royale, 242 W 45th St. 239-6200. ) LOVE LETTERs-Staged readings of A. R. Gurney's two-character play. Aug. 29-Sept. 3, Dana Ivey and George Segal, and Sept. 5-10 Swoosie Kurtz and Richard Thomas. (Prome- nade, Broadway at 76th St 580-1313.) MANDY PATINKIN IN CONCERT: DRESS CASUAL-SO called, presumably, because the chanteur gets to wear sneaks and a T -shirt-a costume that pretty much sets the tone for an evening of glorious song and good fun. Patinkin here tends to sing only what is either very, very simple (and old) or very, very complicated (and Sondheim). Half the show's pleasure derives from Patinkin's between-song (in some cases even mid-song) patter and the relationship that develops between him and his able pianist, Paul Ford. (Helen Hayes, 240 W. 44th St. 246-0102. Closes Sept. 16 ) ONLY KIDDING!- Jim Geoghan's comedy about standup comedians, in all their panic and desperation, has the ring of authenticity, and jokes that invariably payoff. (One mono- logue, about a Greek restaurant, is a knock- out.) All the actors do well, under the lively direction of Larry Arrick. (5/29/89) (Westside Arts, 407 W 43rd St 541-8394.) OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY-Jerry Sterner's comedy about a New York stockbroker's attempt to take over a decorous New England business main tains its suspense from beginning to end. Kevin Conway can seldom have been better or funnier than he is as Bronx-born Lawrence Garfinkle Janet Zarish plays his adversary (with a difference). (Minetta Lane Theatre, 18 Minetta Lane, east of Sixth Ave, between W 3rd and Bleecker Sts. 420-8000.) PRIVATES ON PARADE-Jim Dale and Simon Jones star in the 1977 musical by Peter Nichols (book and lyrics) and Denis King (score). (Reviewed in this issue.) (Roundabout, 100 E. 17th St. 420-1883.) SHENANDOAH-John Cullum reprises his original role in a revival of the 1975 musical, which was based on James Lee Barrett's 1965 film of the same name. Score by Gary Geld, lyrics by Peter Udell, and book by Mr. Barrett, Philip Rose (who once again directs), and Mr. Udell. (Virginia, 245 W. 52nd St. 246-0102. Closes Sept. 2.) SHIRLEY VALENTINE-Willy Russell's play about a Liverpool housewife who, feeling herself en- gulfed by drab domesticity, flies off to Greece, where she finds a temporary lover and lives happily ever after. With Ellen Burstyn in the title, and only, role Directed by Simon Callow (2/27/88) (Booth, 222 W. 45th St. 239-6200.) SHOWING OFF-As comedy revues go, this one- written by Douglas Bernstein and Denis Markell-isn't at all bad The winning per- formances by Mr Bernstein, Marilyn Pasekoff, Mark Sawyer, and Veanne Cox of- ten make the material seem better than it is, but ultimately they don't compensate for the over-all smugness of what is essentially life- style comedy. (Steve McGraw's, 158 W. 72nd St. 595-7400.) TITUS ANDRONICUS- The second, and final, offer- ing in the New York Shakespeare Festival's summer series in the Park. WIth Donald Moffat, Kate Mulgrew, and Keith David. The director is Michael Maggio. (Reviewed in this issue.) (Delacorte Theatre, Central Park near W 81st. St. Closes Sept. 3. For information about free tickets, which are required, call 861-7277.)